Whale Watching in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary: Understanding Passengers and their Economic Contributions

This report presents the methods used to estimate the expenditures and resulting economic contributions and understand the attitudes and perceptions of for-hire whale watching operations' passengers in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Understanding whale watchers includes estimating their attitudes and perceptions, determining other activities they participated in, and developing a profile of their socio-demographic characteristics (such as where they come from, how long they stay, age, race, and party size). This report documents the approach used to collect and analyze these data. Results include the economic contribution (jobs, income, value added, and output) of whale watchers, the characteristics they find most important and are most satisfied with, the number of whale watching days and trips they make to the region, and the types of wildlife they most like viewing. These findings will be used to inform education and outreach efforts related to whales, provide additional information to for-hire wildlife viewing operators about their passengers and economic contributions to the region, and aid in the conservation of whales.

Key Words

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, whale watching, importance/satisfaction, economic contribution, expenditures, for-hire operators